The Day I Lost My Shirt as a Claims Adjuster
Hey I wanted to check in and share something with you.
5 years ago, I was working a hail storm in Nashville TN and washing my clothes. How do I know I was washing my clothes? Great question.
I was on my first catastrophe storm and broke. Not just broke, but BBBRRRROOOOKKKKKEEE.
My wife, 2-year-old, and my in laws were staying in a small hotel room together. A La Quinta that the waffle maker was the only good part. It was crowded and we were trying to survive while traveling waiting to get paid.
Our current employer waited until a storm was done, had you submit an invoice and you would get paid 45 days later. 2 months from first day to getting paid. Tough! Let me get back to why washing my clothes is important.
I put my catastrophe clothes and my family’s clothes into the washing machine and went back to the room. When I returned to switch the clothes one of the loads was gone, not removed and placed, but gone.
My wife checked after me, because I tend to overlook things, but no overlooking this time. I was mad. Someone had stolen our clothes? Indignant, stressed about money and this being my first storm.
We talked to the front office and asked them if they had removed it or if anyone complained about our clothes being unattended. Nothing. Baffled we finished our other load of laundry and went back to the room.
An hour later we got a call from the front desk, a security guard had found our clothes, they were on the corner of the hotel. We ran down and found the security guard and some of our clothes.
There was some clothes missing, but my kids clothes were mostly present and I was only missing a handful of clothes. The clothes smelled of rubbing alcohol. The security guard told us that the trail of clothes led to a path that was known for homeless people walking.
I went from being mad about my clothes to feeling sorry for someone who needed to steal my khaki’s and a major insurance company’s polo. I felt sad for someone who felt compelled to drink rubbing alcohol to cope with life.
I’m sure my circumstances and challenges at that point were nothing compared to their circumstances.
Becoming a hail adjuster is HARD. The transition is brutal. You may have to share a hotel room, borrow money, take risks, eat ramen, or maybe even have your clothes stolen.
Don’t forget though that someone is always worse off. We have a great opportunity to earn money most people never even dream of.
Now it’s been 5 years since I started on this crazy journey to become a hail adjuster. Time flies!
I look back and the sacrifice was totally worth it. I’ve made over six figures 3 out of the last 5 years and I have made $60,000 plus each year.
You have the opportunity in front of you, it’s up to you to do something about it and make the sacrifices to make it work.
If you haven’t signed up for the Hail Score Course it may be time to make a sacrifice, if you are already signed up make sure you are getting certified, if you are a veteran and haven’t finished the certification GET BUSY the hail season is upon us.
Get more stories and information on becoming a catastrophic claims adjuster by getting my Amazon #1 Best Selling book, Hail Adjusters Playbook audio version FREE!. Visit HailAdjustersPlaybook.com
Chris Stanley
P.S. If you see a guy standing on the side of the road with a USAA shirt let him know he can keep the shirt and I forgive him.
